Fathers have more influence on the language of their children than mothers

In families where both parents work, fathers have a greater impact than mothers on language development of their child between the ages of 2 and 3 years, according to a study from the University of North Carolina, published in the "Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology."

Researchers watched two parents and their two year old at home during periods of play child They found that children whose fathers used a richer vocabulary enjoyed greater language development when they were evaluated one year later. However, the vocabulary of mothers did not seem to have any influence on the language of their child.

"Most previous studies have indeed focused on the language development of children in relation to mothers," recalls Nadya Panscofar, lead author of the study. She said it would now reckon with fathers who, in fact, can improve the language development of their child and learning to read.

Moreover, this work shows that high-quality care provided to the child in learning during the first three years of life are associated with high scores on tests assessing language development. Similarly, a high level of education among parents contributes to greater language skills in their offspring.